AUSTIN — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz got into a Twitter spat with author Stephen King after the literary giant urged Texas voters to support Beto O'Rourke in November.

King has been a vocal critic of Cruz on his Twitter account since the Texas Republican ran for president in 2016. His tweets have poked fun at the senator's appearance and he frequently compares Cruz to Lord Voldemort, the villain from the Harry Potter series, or rather He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

This time King, who is known for writing titles like "Carrie," "It" and "The Shinning," took a swing at Cruz while lauding his opponent O'Rourke.

"Hey, Texas!" he wrote Tuesday. "I suppose you're going to re-elect Ted Cruz, but I hope you don't. Beto O'Rourke is mega-cool. Smart, too. Also, jeez, do we have to look at Ted for another six years? The mind reels."

Cruz fired back at the author the following day, using references to a number of King's works.

"Limousine liberal (Stephen King) preaching socialism (but not his millions!) to Texas is pretty scary, kinda like Carrie riding Cujo, chopping through a door with an ax and saying “heeeeeeeeere’s........Johnny!”

Limousine liberal @StephenKing preaching socialism (but not his millions!) to Texas is pretty scary, kinda like Carrie riding Cujo, chopping through a door with an ax and saying “heeeeeeeeere’s........Johnny!” https://t.co/6iKQ61Fmqd

King responded on Thursday, extending an invitation to Cruz to join him in his home state for a ride on his Harley Davidson motorcycle, which he said was made in America before President Donald Trump ruined the company.

Ted Cruz called me a limousine liberal!Oooo!He's never ridden in one himself, I suppose.Come on up to Maine, Ted, I'll give you a ride on my Harley. It was made in America before your boy Trump fucked up the company.

This wasn't the first time King used Twitter to rail against Cruz. In April, he offered a more blunt criticism of the senator: "Hello, Texas! I suppose you are going to elect Ted Cruz again, but admit it: he's kinda creepy, ain't he?"

He said he was bracing himself for backlash from Cruz supporters for his tweets.

Hey, Texas--Do I really have to look at Ted Cruz for another 6 years? Assuming I even live that long? (God, I can't wait for the trolls to come out of the woodwork on this one; left myself wide open. Oh well, what the fuck.)